The present invention relates to a female connector and a male connector and more particularly to a female connector and a male connector that can be connected by insertion either horizontally or vertically.
Connectors are used for electrically connecting various component elements. Normally they come in pairs which are connected by insertion end-to-end from opposite directions. The conventional type of pair of connectors is such that the second connector is laterally inserted into the first connector.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the connector disclosed in Japanese Utility Model JP-UM-A-5-6722, which is composed of a first connector 31 and a second connector 33, structured in such manner that a square U-shaped latching part 32 is provided around the periphery of the front end surface of the first connector 31 and a brim part 34 around the periphery of the front end surface of the second connector 33, whereby the brim part 34 of the second connector 33 fits into the square U-shaped latching part 32 of the first connector 31.
Such first and second connectors 31 and 33 are connected by lateral insertion and therefore suited to situations where space constraints preclude direct end-to-end connection (serial connection). In this mode of connection, where the brim part 34 of the second connector 33 fits into the latching part 32 of the first connector 31, however, the connectors cannot be disconnected in a direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion.
Despite having the characteristic features described above, the first and second connectors disclosed in JP-UM-A-5-6722 are not grounded when they are joined together via their housings, because the housings are made of synthetic resin, which has insulating properties. One way of effecting ground connection is to utilize the contact pins for signals/power supply that are attached to the housings as grounding pins. This method however results in fewer contact pins for signals/power supply, or requires extra contact pins, which would entail extra space to accommodate the connector, which may be large in size. Another disadvantage of using this method is that shielding the connectors described above against electromagnetic waves is not possible, considering that such electromagnetic shielding is essential in order to make the connectors capable of high-speed transmission and similar applications. A further difficulty is posed by the first and second connectors being joined together by the fitting of the brim part of the second connector into the latching part of the first connector as this would require the joining of two resin housings, which gives rise to the problem of maintaining the high mechanical strength of the joint portion.